


Returning the Favor

by truth_renowned



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Christmas Eve, F/M, Not Fluff, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8899108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truth_renowned/pseuds/truth_renowned
Summary: Peggy receives an unexpected gift.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to thecoldestginger for the prompt. The idea really got my imagination running.
> 
> And huge thanks to lilliammalter for betaing!

With a snifter filled with whiskey in one hand and Daniel sitting next to her on the couch, Peggy thinks that this is as good a Christmas Eve as she could remember. Good friends, good liquor, good man at her side. What more could she want?

They are at Howard’s house, though the owner is nowhere to be found. Mr. Jarvis says he is ‘getting ready,’ which most likely means he partied too much the night before, probably into the wee hours of the morning as well, and is nursing a hangover. She very well could not blame him. ‘Tis the season and all. Even last night, after having a lovely dinner with Angie, she and Daniel had partaken of the complementary champagne in their hotel room. That had led to a different kind of celebration, one between the sheets that lasted into those wee hours about which she is thinking of chastising Howard.

“What’s so funny, Carter?”

Peggy snaps out of her train of thought at Jack Thompson’s comment. He is sitting across from her and Daniel, sipping from a snifter matching hers. She had invited him, without Howard’s blessing but with Mr. Jarvis’s knowledge, fully expecting Jack to turn them down. However, here he is, even bringing an apropos gift for them: a bottle of Old Thompson whiskey.

“Nothing you would appreciate,” she replies. “Thanks for coming here, Jack. We only have today and tomorrow left here, and tomorrow is dedicated to Daniel’s family.”

Jack shrugs. “Would be at the office anyway, so it’s a good excuse not to work.”

“Since when did you need an excuse not to work?” Daniel tosses out.

“Look who's talking, Chief ‘I'm taking three days off to jet-set around the country’.”

“It's Christmas Eve, gentlemen,” she says sternly, even though she is amused. “I am calling a truce between you two.”

Her amusement fades as she sees Howard enter the room. He’s wearing sunglasses and is dressed in a red silk smoking robe with wrinkled gray trousers. 

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” she quips. “More like a mangy cur than the cat, though.”

Howard sneers at her. “Merry Christmas to you, too, Peg.”

“Let me guess. You had a pre-Christmas Eve party last night.”

“And this morning,” Mr. Jarvis offers. “The last… guest left a few hours ago.”

“Why are you here again?” Howard says to her.

“To open Christmas gifts, I thought.”

“Oh yeah.” Howard flourishes with his hand. “Jarvis, hand out the gifts.”

“We can come back some other time, Howard.”

“No, no. This is good. I have a meeting later. Trying to talk an up-and-coming actress into starring in my new production.”

She glances at Mr. Jarvis, who closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“I don’t want to know what your particular brand of ‘talk’ involves,” she says with a frown.

Howard’s smarmy smile is more explanation than she needs or wants.

Mr. Jarvis doles out Howard’s gifts, and Peggy passes around the gifts from her and Daniel. From Howard, Jack and Daniel receive bottles of exceptional cognac, and she opens a box with a leather holster engraved with her initials. She knows all of the gifts were picked out by the Jarvises and is grateful for it. God knows what Howard would buy for her. Most likely something lacy and sheer that Daniel would appreciate much more than she would.

“How is Ana?” she asks Mr. Jarvis. “I'm sorry we missed her.”

“But you haven't missed her,” he replies. “Her women's club is volunteering at a soup kitchen this evening. She should be here in an hour or so. I shall wait to open this gift until she arrives. Oh, and she has our gift to you as well.”

She gives him a smile, then starts on the second box from Howard. She didn't expect two gifts from him, but hopefully this one is as tasteful and useful as the last. She removes the top of the box and gasps, staring at a beautiful gold choker necklace. It’s a tube shape with smooth, solid yellow gold, only interrupted with two bands of diamonds, one on each side about one inch from the center of the necklace. 

“I…” She isn't sure what to say. This is a most unexpected gift. She lifts the necklace out of the box. It has some heft to it, obviously well-made and solid even though the gold tube is presumably hollow. The clasp is undone, and she admires the intricate details engraved on the hook.

Daniel takes it from her, and she turns, pulling her hair up. He drapes the choker around her neck and fastens the clasp.

Her fingers brush over the smooth gold. “Howard, this is beautiful.”

“Yeah, yeah, beautiful,” Howard murmurs. “Except I didn’t give it to you.”

“Oh!” Her eyes widen as piercing pain hits the front of her neck in two places. Her hands go to the necklace, trying to pull it away from her skin. Finally, the pain subsides.

Daniel immediately is on edge. “What?” 

“There’s something sharp on the necklace, where the diamonds are. Take it off.”

Daniel’s hands go to the clasp. It had clicked in easily but he struggles to get the clasp undone. “I can’t get the damn thing to open.”

Mr. Jarvis steps forward. “Let me try.” He looks offended at Daniel’s sharp look. “My wife has some necklaces with tricky clasps. I’m sure I have more practice than you, Chief Sousa.”

Daniel puts his hands up in surrender. “All yours.” He turns to Howard. “Stark, you said you didn’t give this to Peggy. Who did?”

“Hell if I know. Jarvis?”

“It wasn’t I or Mrs. Jarvis,” he responds, trying to work the clasp. “I picked up Mr. Stark’s wrapped gifts at Macy’s, as instructed. I am most assured this one was not in with those, though the wrapping is the same.”

Daniel picks up the box. “Something’s not right.”

He turns the box upside down, examining it, then flips it right-side up. He removes the top, running his hand along the sides. He then picks at the bottom of the box, which turns out not to be the bottom but a false bottom. Daniel pulls up the panel and finds a folded piece of paper inside. He looks up at Peggy, and she knows his assessment is correct.

Daniel unfolds the paper and reads its contents aloud:

> _Happy final Christmas, Peg!_
> 
> _Remember when I told you I would return the favor with a choker of my own? Here it is! I think you’ll like it. 24-karat gold with diamond accents, and a very nice feature: It’s filled with 300 milligrams of potassium cyanide. Each diamond band has a needle that juts out every two minutes, injecting you directly in the carotid arteries with 20 milligrams of goodness. Within 10 minutes, you’ll be dead. Oh, and a few warnings: Once the clasp is hooked, it won’t unfasten. If the exterior of the necklace or clasp is penetrated, it will trigger an ignition and burn your pretty little neck, and the remaining cyanide will be injected. The needles are temperature-sensitive. Anything other than good ol’ body temperature, and the same thing will happen. What fun!_
> 
> _Love and kisses,  
>  Dottie_

Jack and Daniel share a wide-eyed look, and Mr. Jarvis pulls his hands away from the necklace. Even Howard seems to sober up as he removes his sunglasses.

Jack glares at Howard. “How the hell did she get in the house?” 

“How should I know? I had a party last night -- invitation only and I assure you she wasn’t invited.”

“Who _was_ invited?” Jack demands.

“Some… friends.”

“Female, no doubt,” Peggy says, shaking her head, keeping one hand on the necklace. “How do you know she wasn’t one of them?”

“I…” Howard pauses. “I would recognize her. I think. Maybe.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jack bites out. “You had a killer in the house, one you know personally, and you’re not sure if you would recognize her?”

Peggy yelps as the needles pierce her neck again. She grabs Daniel’s hand to help staunch the pain but it does her no good. She sighs in relief as the needles leave her skin.

“Someone time this,” Daniel says. “I want a warning at ten seconds for the next one.”

Jack nods. “On it.”

Daniel turns to Howard. “What are the symptoms of cyanide poisoning?”

“Uh…” Howard pauses. “Cyanide. Dizziness, vomiting, loss of consciousness, uh…”

“Death?” Peggy offers.

Howard nods. “In large doses, yes.”

“Is twenty milligrams considered large?” Daniel asks.

“Not by itself, but if that dose is administered every two minutes…”

“How much can she take before…?”

Howard shrugs. “If I were to venture a guess, I’d say between 100 and 200 milligrams.”

“And she's had forty so far,” Daniel says. “We need to get this off of her now.”

“Let’s take her to the lab.” Howard jumps up from his chair. “There has to be a way to remove it safely.”

Daniel helps Peggy up from the couch, and he and Jack each stand at her side, rushing her down the hall toward Howard’s lab.

“Gentlemen, I can still walk,” she says, leaving out the part that her head is pounding and the hallway is spinning. 

“We need to put something between her and the necklace,” Daniel says. “Something that's about 100 degrees.” He looks at Mr. Jarvis. “What's in the kitchen that we can use?”

“I have the steaks I was about to prepare for tonight's dinner. It would take some time to cook up to temperature.”

“How long?” Daniel asks.

“Far more than ten minutes, I'm afraid,” Mr. Jarvis says as he opens the door to the lab and everyone files in.

“Ten seconds,” Jack says. “God dammit, Stark, this is your fault! Figure something out!

“I’m thinking! Give me a minute!” 

“She doesn’t have a minute!” Daniel snapped.

Jack gives the countdown. “Five… four.... three…”

Suddenly, Daniel pushes Peggy against the wall, knocking the breath out of her. He raises his hands to her neck and his index fingers go between her neck and the necklace at the diamond bands. He winces as the needles puncture his flesh.

She looks up at him, at first confused but anger soon takes over. “What are you…”

As soon as the needles retract, he withdraws his fingers and sighs. “I wasn’t letting you take another hit of that.”

“That was a stupid thing to do, Daniel.” She pushes him away. “It’s not your decision.”

“The hell it isn’t. As long as I’m standing here, you are not getting any more.”

“Sousa’s right, Peggy,” Howard chimes in. “Let him do this. The amount you can handle has to do with weight, and he weighs more than you do. Also, you’re getting a direct hit to the carotids. He’s getting it in his fingers. Takes a lot longer to travel through the bloodstream from a finger than an artery. That’ll give me some time.”

The dizziness suddenly gets worse, and she starts to waver, her legs threatening to give out. Daniel reaches out and catches her by the shoulders, his crutch clanking to the floor. Mr. Jarvis rushes forward. 

“I need to sit,” she says at the end of a pained sigh. 

Both men lower her to the ground, and she leans her back against the wall, thankful not to be standing. She slams her eyes shut, but the dizziness gets worse. She opens her eyes to see Daniel kneeling next to her, a look of concern mixed with pain on his face. 

“We can spread out the doses,” Mr. Jarvis says. “I’ll take the next one.”

Peggy shakes her head weakly. “Absolutely not. Dottie did this to get to me, not any of you.”

“She’s not going to win,” Daniel says. “You don’t have a say in this anymore. If we spread out the doses, we can mitigate the effects.”

“And if she’s lying about those twenty-milligram dosages, which it’s Dottie so that’s probable, there will be three people dead instead of one.”

“Make it four,” Jack says, staring at his watch. “I’ll take one.”

This time Daniel jumps in. “No way, Jack. You just recovered from a major injury. Your body is still compromised.”

“Bullshit. It’s been five months. I’m fine, got the all-clear from my doctor last month.” Jack pauses and shoots a glare at Howard. “I can handle one, unless Stark gets his ass in gear to get this thing off of her.”

“I’m trying!”

“Try harder,” Jack yells back. “Ten seconds.”

Mr. Jarvis steps forward and kneels in front of her, but Peggy puts her hands on his shoulders, half-heartedly pushing him away.

“Miss Carter, I’m not going anywhere. Kindly remove your hands.”

She looks up at him, a several-second stare down commencing, but she finally sighs and drops her arms in surrender when Jack starts the countdown again.

“Five… four… three...”

Mr. Jarvis raises his hands and slips his middle fingers inside the necklace. With his fingers barely in place, the needles click out and into his skin. 

Within a few seconds, the needles retract, and Mr. Jarvis pulls his hands away. “That does smart, doesn’t it?”

Daniel nods. “Next one is mine.”

“Come on, Sousa,” Jack says. “It’s mine. It’s only fair.”

Peggy sighs heavily. “Do you know how ridiculous you all sound? Arguing over who gets to be poisoned next.”

“Jack,” Daniel says, ignoring her comment, “we need you to keep time and help Stark.”

“Help him do what?” Jack asks, a flourish of his hand pointing toward Howard, who has a large book in his hands. “Apparently he thinks it’s a good time to catch up on his reading.”

“Poisons and antidotes.” Howard plops the book on the lab table and starts flipping through it. “Need to get an antidote inside her to give me time to get that blasted thing off her neck. Cyanide… cyanide… ah! Here it is.” His finger glides across the page. “The antidote is… sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate. Really? That’s perfect!”

Daniel’s eyebrow arches. “Perfect?”

“I’ve got them here,” Howard replies, pointing to one of several glass-front cabinets.

Jack’s eyes narrow. “What the hell are sodium… whatevers?”

“Sodium thiosulfate is used for processing film,” Howard says. “We use it at the studio, and I use it here for photos. Sodium nitrite is a compound used in a variety of things, like food preservatives, fertilizers... explosives.”

Daniel shakes his head. “So, of course you’d have it. I never thought I’d say this, but Stark, I’m glad you like to blow stuff up.”

“Ten seconds,” Jack pipes in.

“Daniel, I wish you wouldn’t,” she says in a whisper, about all she is able to get out. “Let me.”

He shakes his head. “Not a chance. I just got you. I’m not about to let you go.”

“You could die, too, you know.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easily, Peg.” He brushes his fingers over her cheeks on their way down to her neck.

“Five… four… three…”

Daniel’s fingers already are in the necklace, and he braces himself for the puncture. He bites down on his lower lip but doesn't make a sound.

“Jarvis, how many is that?” Howard asks.

“Five so far,” Mr. Jarvis answers. “Miss Carter had two, Chief Sousa had two, and one for me.”

Howard nods. “I need a few minutes to calculate the doses and get these in syringes. Jarvis, you'll have to take another.”

“Of course. I was counting on it.”

Daniel shakes his head. “I’ve got the next one. You didn’t sign up for this.”

“Neither did you, Chief Sousa.”

“Then let me,” Jack says, walking toward them. “Ten seconds.”

Peggy shakes her head. They are being utter wankers. She is the only person this ‘present’ was meant to harm, and she is the only person it should be harming.

Daniel waves him off. “Next one, Jack.” His fingers brush over Peggy’s cheek again as he lowers his hands to the necklace.

“Five… four… three… two…”

As soon as Jack says ‘one’, she uses what little strength she still has and grabs Daniel’s wrists, yanking his hands free from her neck. She cries out as the needles pierce her skin.

“Dammit, Peggy! What the hell are you doing?!”

“I refuse to sit here and let anyone else suffer,” she pushes out through gritted teeth.

“We're not suffering!” Daniel shakes his head, obviously forcing back anger. “And you call what I did ‘stupid’. You are a damn stubborn woman.”

She manages a smile. “But you still love me.”

Daniel sighs. “God help me, I do.”

“Got it!” Howard rushes toward Peggy with two filled syringes. Without hesitation, he pushes up her sleeve, sticking the first needle into her bicep and depressing the plunger. It is quickly followed by another injection. She barely feels the poke of the needles; not only is the room spinning, but so is her stomach. She fights down the bile and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, repeating the process. She will _not_ throw up.

“Need to get some more for you gents,” Howard says, running back to the lab table.

“No,” Daniel says sharply, “first we need to get this thing off of her.”

Howard nods. “I’ve been thinking about that.”

“How about less thinking and more doing, Stark,” Jack bites out.

Howard glares at Jack before addressing Daniel. “I should be able to put together a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It creates something called agua regia, which will dissolve gold.”

“But won’t acids dissolve skin, too?”

“Skin, muscle, tendons, everything. I’ll have to be very careful, use a glass eyedropper.” Howard pauses and his face lights up. “The solution can’t penetrate glass. I can break a test tube and put the glass underneath to protect her skin. I am a genius!”

“Right,” Daniel says with a sneer. “What about the threat that the necklace will ignite and inject her with the rest of the cyanide?”

Howard shrugs. “We’ll have to be quick. The weakest point is at the clasp but I have a feeling that’s where the ignition point is. I’ll work on one of the areas at the diamond bands. The gold will be compromised at those solder points. One of you will be on either side of her, ready to rip the necklace apart and off of her.”

“How long before you mix that stuff up?” Jack asks Howard.

“Give me a minute or two.”

“So another dose,” Jack says. “It’s mine. No arguments.” He walks toward Peggy and kneels in front of her. “Ten seconds. Jarvis, you’re on time duty now.”

“Jack, you’re not well enough,” she says softly.

“Yeah, well, I’m in better shape than you are, Carter. Shut up and let me do this, okay?”

She nods as she feels Jack’s index fingers inside the necklace. 

Mr. Jarvis starts the countdown. “Five… four… three… two… one.”

Jack flinches as the needles puncture his fingers. After the needles retract, he pulls his hands away from her and sits back on his haunches. “That was not pleasant.” 

“Then don’t do it again,” she retorts, starting to feel less nauseous, thanks, she assumes, to the sodium nitrite and the other one she can’t pronounce.

“Okay, got it ready,” Howard says as he breaks a test tube on the lab table. “Jarvis, help me with this.”

Peggy watches as they gather the various equipment, Howard holding the filled eyedropper gingerly, and Mr. Jarvis carrying shards of glass, a glass bowl and a small tube of… she isn't sure what but she doesn't question it.

Howard points to a part on the necklace where one of the diamond bands is attached. “Okay, Jarvis, very carefully put a larger one of those shards under this area. Under that you will hold the bowl. Hold it as close to her skin as you can. Peg, I’m going to need you to hold your hair up with one hand. You’ll need to lean forward and crane your neck out as far as you can. I’ll warn you. This is going to stink and the fumes probably will make you want to upchuck, as they are toxic, but try not to move. We’ll do this as quick as possible.”

She does as he says, and he nods as he watches Mr. Jarvis puts a wide shard under the necklace and gets the bowl in place.

“Good,” Howard says. “Now for the chiefs. Each of you on either side of her, holding the necklace. When I give the word, you’ll yank on the necklace. Got it?”

Daniel and Jack both nod and grasp each side of the necklace.

“Okay, everyone ready?”

“Yes,” Jack snaps. “Get going. It’s been almost two minutes.”

“Right.” Howard squeezes the eyedropper carefully, one drop forming on the top. He lets the drop hit the surface of the gold at the juncture where the band is connected. Gossamer-thin smoke wafts from the necklace, and Howard lets another droplet hit the necklace. 

Peggy starts coughing, and Howard puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t move, Peg. I’m sorry. Just a few more seconds.”

She does her best to stifle her coughing by holding her breath as Howard lets more droplets hit the necklace, and even more smoke billows up.

“Now!” Howard yells.

Daniel and Jack yank on the necklace, and it breaks. She yelps in pain as a spark ignites at the back of the necklace, but it’s gone almost as quickly as the necklace is ripped away from her neck. Jack lets go of his side and Daniel tosses the necklace -- dripping with gold and liquid and letting off sparks -- to the floor. 

Peggy lets her hair drop from her hand and she leans forward, coughing up what feels like her lungs.

“You okay?” Daniel asks her, his hand rubbing her back.

She nods in between coughs, which start to subside.

Howard grabs the small tube and moves her hair from her neck. Daniel joins in, holding her hair as Howard examines the skin where she was burned.

“Not too bad,” Howard says. He opens the tube of what Peggy now knows is a first-aid ointment, and he applies a liberal amount. “Keep an eye on that, Sousa. Don't want it getting infected.”

Daniel nods, and Howard returns to the lab table. 

“I'll get some injections ready for everyone, though I think Peg has had enough.”

“I'm fine,” Jack says. “Don't feel a thing.”

Mr. Jarvis nods. “I feel fine as well.”

Howard glances at Daniel, who shrugs. “May not be a bad idea for me.”

He doesn't say it, but she knows he must be in bad shape for him to ask for the antidote.

Jack rises from the floor and approaches the lab table, slapping Howard on the back. “You sure know how to throw a party, Stark.”

Peggy leans her head back against the wall and closes her eyes, ignoring the dizziness. What the bloody hell just happened? Had she really been that close to dying, on Christmas Eve no less?

“You okay?” Daniel asks quietly.

“I've been better.”

She leans her head to the side and opens her eyes, seeing a blurred version of Daniel with furrowed brow and mouth set in a straight line.

“I'm going to kill Dottie Underwood,” he says, pure venom in his tone.

“Get in line,” she replies.

With two syringes in his hand, Howard walks toward them. “You've got a choice, Sousa. Bicep or hip. Remove the shirt or drop trou.”

Despite feeling like death warmed over, she can’t help but smile at the scathing look Daniel is giving Howard. 

“I was wrong,” Jack says with a snort of laughter. “Pants are coming off. _Now_ it's a party.”

Daniel shakes his head as he unbuttons his shirt, glaring at Jack when he gives a disappointed ‘aww’. Daniel pulls one sleeve down, baring his bicep long enough for Howard to administer both shots, then quickly buttons his shirt.

“Jarvis,” Howard says, “take Peg and Sousa to one of the suites.” He holds up a hand when Daniel opens his mouth to respond. “You two are staying here until I am sure the effects of the cyanide have subsided completely.”

She doesn’t argue, knowing that standing is going to be enough of a challenge, let alone making the drive back to the hotel.

“He's right, Daniel,” she says, and he finally nods in agreement. 

Jack and Mr. Jarvis help Peggy to her feet, and Daniel grabs his crutch, using it and the wall as leverage to stand. 

“I'll be right back to help clean up,” Mr. Jarvis says.

Jack waves him off. “Take your time. I'll help in here.”

Mr. Jarvis nods and takes her arm, walking her out of the lab, with Daniel behind them. Considering the hallway is swaying to and fro in front of her eyes, she lets him help her down the hall and into one of the countless rooms in the Stark mansion.

Once they arrive, she goes straight to the bed and lies down, relieved to be feeling she is no longer riding an out-of-control carousel.

“Chief Sousa, if you have your hotel room key, I will go and fetch your things.”

“Yeah,” Daniel says, digging in his pants pocket and producing the key. “That would be great. Thanks, Jarvis. You sure you’re okay to go?”

“Of course. I don’t feel any effects. Thanks to you, I only had one dose, remember?”

Peggy hears the door close, announcing Mr. Jarvis’s exit. She feels the bed dip as Daniel sits on the edge, and he brushes strands of hair from her face.

Her eyes flutter open. “Are you going to sit there and watch me sleep?”

“Maybe,” he replies with a soft smile.

She sighs. “Make yourself useful and get into this bed.”

“You need to rest.”

“You need to rest as well.” She smiles. “And I need a pillow.”

He chuckles as he stretches out on the bed. He opens his arms, and she immediately molds herself to his side, her head on his chest.

“Better?” he asks.

“Much.”

She closes her eyes, the dizziness making it so easy to welcome sleep. The injection Howard gave her has fended off the nausea but she still feels like she’s spinning, floating...

She jerks awake when Daniel flinches at a sharp rap on the door. She opens her eyes.

“Come in,” Daniel says.

The door opens to reveal Jack, who looks inside, sees them in bed and immediately looks away. 

“Didn’t need to see that,” he says with a pained look on his face.

She feels Daniel’s chuckle under her ear. “We’re fully clothed, Jack. And she’s asleep.”

“She’s not asleep anymore,” Peggy retorts. “She would be asleep if you two would stop making noise.”

“I’ll make it quick, for all of our sakes,” Jack says, looking everywhere but at the bed. “I walked the perimeter. No sign of forced entry. Jarvis told me which Macy’s he went to. I’ll head over there and check with the gift-wrapping department to see if they remember anyone resembling Underwood. Not optimistic but it’s worth a shot.”

“Thank you, Jack,” she says sincerely. “For everything. Because of all of you, I’m alive.”

Jack shrugged. “You two are still investigating who tried to take me out in L.A. Just returning the favor.”

“Please,” she says with a groan, “never, ever use that phrase again.”

Jack chuckles. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Merry Christmas, you two.”

“Merry Christmas,” Daniel says as Jack closes the door. Daniel tightens his arms around her. “I hadn’t realized how much fun it is to make Jack uncomfortable.”

Her body shakes with a laugh. “If I’d have know that, I would have been more demonstrative with you earlier.”

“We’ll have time to torment Jack later,” he says. “Right now, you rest.”

Peggy hums her approval as she snuggles her head further into his chest. “Want to thank you, too. For taking the cyanide. For being so bloody smart. I’m very lucky to have you.”

“Yes, you are,” he replies cheekily, “but not as lucky as I am. I almost lost you, Peg.”

“But thanks to your quick thinking, you didn’t.”

“Tell you what. You can thank me properly later.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Count on it. A very thorough thanking.”

“Maybe several,” he offers.

She hums against his chest. “Yes.”

Her last two thoughts before she drifts off to sleep are about the myriad ways she would thank Daniel later, and that she will never again accept wrapped Christmas gifts from Howard Stark.

**Author's Note:**

> thecoldestginger's awesome prompt: "So remember how Dottie told Peggy she would return the favor with a choker of her own one day? Well Christmas, 1947 Peggy and Daniel are opening presents at Howard's. Jack's still there recovering (and kinda being a Scrooge about it too) And Peggy gets a box that has a very nice diamond choker inside of it and a note from Dottie. (I'm not sure what kind of shenanigans ensue after though...)" Hope these shenanigans work for you. :)
> 
> Historical and science notes:
> 
> Old Thompson Whiskey: It really exists and did exist in the 1940s. It's more on the low end of whiskeys, but that kind of fits Jack. :P
> 
> Agua regia: This really exists, too! Nitric acid and hydrochloric acid mixed together create agua regia, which can dissolve gold. It was used during World War II to dissolve the gold medals of two of Denmark's Nobel Prize winners to keep the Nazis from stealing them. More info: http://www.triumvirate.com/environmental-blog/bid/24348/Aqua-Regia-Every-Chemical-has-a-Story
> 
> Sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate and cyanide: Sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate are antidotes to cyanide poisoning. Whether or not they can act as quickly as I have them is debatable, though. Creative license, baby!


End file.
